Moroccan producers are planning to double fruit and veg exports to the UK in the next five years to take advantage of stagnating European production.
The north African nation currently exports £314 million of goods to the UK, but foreign trade minister Abdellatif Maazouz told a Morocco-British trade event this week that the aim was to double exports by 2015 and then triple them by 2018.
Younes Zrikem, managing director of tomato producer Groupe Azura, told FPJ: “There is huge potential to increase fresh produce exports to the UK and EU. There is special momentum at the moment. EU agriculture is in crisis and there are changes to the Common Agricultural Policy in 2013. It’s our turn now. In Morocco there’s huge political will to push agricultural exports. Fresh produce exports will increase quite dramatically in the coming years.”
Government and industry are currently working on creating a new desalination plant in Agadir, with a public tender taking place this week, Zrikem revealed.
Moves are also underway to develop production in different areas of the country, such as the Moroccan Sahara, and to begin exporting products such as stone fruit that it does not currently sell abroad.
A Moroccan association for organics has also been created this year with the aim of finding ways of certifying organics to supply to the European market.
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